1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processor-based display methods, apparatuses, computer-program products and graphical user interfaces. In particular, the invention relates to a display processing apparatus having a browsing function and a recording medium with a program recorded therein that when executed by a processor provides a user-friendly file management and file manipulation capability.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recently, file management software and browser software applications have become popular, particularly with the advent of the Internet. One known software application displays a selected folder list in a window while showing a tree structure of folders in another window (e.g., WINDOWS ""95 from MICROSOFT).
Such file management software applications or browser software applications are designed to display some file-related information such as file name and its creation date in the folder list. With the current tendency to increase the capacity of recording media, various equipment including computers are required to store increasing large number of files, and hence increasing the burden of retrieval efficiency in order to retrieve a desired file in a timely fashion. In particular, many image files read into a computer from scanners, digital cameras or via video capture boards have unique, but xe2x80x9cmechanicalxe2x80x9d file names (e.g., 0019872txt.tiff) that are not particularly helpful to a user in identifying what the data file""s contents.
The present inventor, in light of the inability of conventional apparatus systems and methods to provide a meaningful description of large graphics files, determined that it is desirable to display the contents of such files in a way that eases the burden on the user. More particularly, it is assumed that it is helpful to users to select a desired file based on some advanced knowledge of what is contained in the respective files (which perhaps may only be a mental image), and based on a brief review of a label, or other descriptor of the file itself. It is also desirable to improve the ease of search for the desired file by use of a cross-searching feature that allows users to search for the file across several folders.
However, in conventional file management software applications or browser software systems, because only the information indicative of a file name and its creation date is displayed in the folder list, the contents of the desired file is difficult to understand, particularly when a xe2x80x9cmechanicalxe2x80x9d name is given to the file. While software applications such as WINDOWS ""95 provide an icon next to the file name, indicating the application for which the file may be launched, there is no meaningful information regarding the substance of the file provided by the file management software. Moreover, the software places the burden on the user to provide a meaningful, descriptive name to the file.
Also, in conventional file management software applications or browser software applications, a retrieving function does not support cross-searching of image files among plural folders. It is therefore difficult to search image files efficiently in a wide range.
One example of a conventional apparatus and interface method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,135 in which a data processing system that provides a desk view serves as a graphical user interface. Respective files are displayed as stackable images, where the images themselves, representative of the respective files, are miniature images of the substance of the respective files. The goal of the user interface is to simulate a person""s desk, where respective files are presented as xe2x80x9cstampsxe2x80x9d (i.e., miniature images) of the file contents.
However, a limitation with the above-described apparatus and user interface is that the respective miniature images of the files are not provided with other file directory display features that simplify the organization and attributes of the respective files. Furthermore, the graphics images displayed do not include an indicator, indicative of the presence of additional information, such as file name, appended audio information, memo information, or search information, that may assist the user in cataloguing and retrieving information easily, based on a database search, rather than a visual inspection of the computer screen. Thus, while the convention approach may present files as small images of the file contents, there is no reasonable way to organize, categorize and convey, to the user the related attributes of the file simply by viewing the miniature graphics image.
Another limitation with conventional systems and methods is an absence of a way to effectively cross-reference files based on file content. While, commercial databases are available for organizing data, such databases do not simplify user interfaces for file management applications.
An object of the present invention is to address the above-described and other problems with conventional systems and methods and provide a display processing apparatus, method, computer-program product and user interface that allows an operator to easily ascertain the contents of respective files and manipulate the files.
This and other objects are achieved with a processor-based apparatus, method, computer program-product and user interface according to the present invention that enables efficient searching of image files containing a wide range of subjects and attributes. To this end, the invention provides a display processing apparatus having a plurality of display areas in a display screen that enables browsing various files such as image files, audio files and document files. The display processing apparatus includes a folder identification display mechanism that identifies and displays a folder selected in a folder display area, and a file information display mechanism that displays, in a related information display area, related information for files included in the selected folder.
When at least one image file is contained in the selected folder, the file information display mechanism displays a thumbnail (i.e., a graphics image of the picture represented by the data in the data file) corresponding to the image file in the related information display area.
Further, when at least one document or audio file is contained in the selected folder, an icon indicative of the wipe of the document or audio file is displayed in the related information display area, which is appended to a icon or thumbnail.
The display processing apparatus according to the invention further includes a thumbnail creation mechanism for creating a thumbnail of a selected image file and storing the created thumbnail in a storage mechanism in association with the selected image fie, and a thumbnail display mechanism that reads out and displays the thumbnail in the related information display area when the thumbnail has already been stored in the storage mechanism at the time of displaying the thumbnail or creates and displays a new thumbnail in the related information display area when the thumbnail has not been stored in the storage mechanism.
The display processing apparatus further includes a keyword input mechanism that enables the inputting of one or plural keywords, a keyword setting mechanism that sets the one or plural keywords corresponding to the one or plural thumbnails respectively, a keyword selection mechanism that selects one or plural ones of the keywords input by the keyword input mechanism, and a retrieval mechanism using the keywords, selected by the keyword selection mechanism, as a retrieval key for retrieving thumbnails with the selected keywords set therefor, such that the selected thumbnails are displayed in a list.
Further, the display processing apparatus may also include a keyword display mechanism that displays the keywords, input by the keyword input mechanism, in a keyword display area.
Still further, the display processing apparatus includes an image rotation mechanism that displays an image corresponding to each thumbnail after being rotated at a specific angle. When selected to do so, perhaps by a digital camera command, the image rotation mechanism displays the image after being rotated at a predetermined angle based on photographing information for the image.
Still further, the display processing apparatus according to the invention includes an application start mechanism for launching another different application after transferring an image file corresponding to a thumbnail to the different application by dragging and dropping the thumbnail to an icon indicative of the different application displayed in an icon display area.
The display processing apparatus further includes a correction mechanism that corrects brightness and contrast of a thumbnail in steps and displays the resulting plural thumbnails in a list.
The invention further provides a recording medium with a program recorded therein for enabling a computer to function as the display processing apparatus and user interface according to the present invention.